


The Tenth Hero

by nicetomeetmew, orphan_account



Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Action, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Backstory, Character Study, Collaberation, Dink - Freeform, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Gen, Nightmares, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Scars, Time (Linked Universe) is a Good Parent, Time is Dad, Time is angsty, Who is Dark Link?, Wild is mom, heheh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:15:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24617440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nicetomeetmew/pseuds/nicetomeetmew, https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Dark Link isn't who he seems. After years of inexplicable darkness, he's finally free.But why does he look so...familiar
Relationships: Four & Hyrule & Legend & Sky & Time & Twilight & Warriors & Wild & Wind (Linked Universe)
Comments: 44
Kudos: 174





	1. Chapter 1

Link was lost.

The miasma had always clouded his vision, casting purples and crimsons and blacks around everything he could see. How long he'd been here, he didn't know, but the smog never lifted. He was blind, but he could _feel._

His body moved by some other mind's will. He could feel his arms swing in a familiar arc, slicing through something he couldn't see.

But sometimes, he caught glimpses.

Faces he never knew, writhing in agony, screaming in terror... monsters kneeling before him, his gaze cast downward at them. He could feel his body smiling, an everlasting grin marring his features.

Link preferred the fog over _that_ any day.

* * *

Time jolted awake with a gasp, sweat pouring down his face. Flashes of black and red lingered in the back of his mind, wisps of a dream rapidly fading away.

"You okay, old man?"

Time looked up to see Warriors watching him from nearby, eyebrow raised. Time rubbed his hand wearily across his face.

"I'm fine," he said. He pulled himself up, wondering whether or not he believed his own words. A dream he couldn't remember... it couldn't have meant anything important if he'd forgotten it, right?

Warriors didn't look convinced. "It's not like you to sleep in," he stated.

Time looked around, surprised. Sure enough, all of the other heroes were up and moving. Most of them were gathered around a fire where Wild was fiercely protecting his cooking pot from a lingering Hyrule. Even Sky, known for being the heaviest and deepest sleeper was awake, happily listening to some tale that Wind was enthusiastically telling.

Time stared at the group, but his mind was elsewhere. The dream was fleeting, an eel that slipped from Time's hands the harder he tried to grab at it. He furrowed his brows in frustration. It felt like a memory, yet it was nothing like anything he had ever seen before... Damn it! _What was it?!_

Whatever that was, it was _important._ It called out Time, beckoning him, pulling him...

Time closed his eyes, shaking his head and letting out a deep sigh. He allowed his gaze to rest on the familiar landscape once more.

"...Wanna talk about it?" Time almost jumped out of his skin. Warriors was still standing beside him, looking concerned but a bit sheepish.

"No, I said I'm fine... I just... I need to know why we're back in my Hyrule so soon. Something's wrong, I can feel it..."

Warriors huffed a bit at that.

"That is _such_ an old man thing to say." That earned him a chiding smack to his shoulder from Time as the eldest rolled his eyes.

"Come on, let's eat breakfast."

* * *

Sky had never felt so refreshed. Spending the night in a forest of fairies did wonders for the weary traveler. He breathed in the crisp autumn air with a small smile as Wind continued the regalement of his story.

"The night was silent. But then I saw it. Two red glowing eyes, staring at me through the canopy above... Everything was silent, and then... _Rah!_ " Wind jumped up at the delivery and Sky laughed.

But... he couldn't hear it. His own laugh fell deaf on his ears.

In fact, everything was silent. Every sound drowned out, and suddenly Sky thought that maybe Wind had yelled a bit _too_ loud in his ears.

But then he heard it. He heard _her._ The sweet, echoing thrum of her voice vibrated through Sky's back. He reached behind him, and drew the Master Sword. She was shining the brightest blue Sky had _ever_ seen.

_'A group of nine is a group incomplete. Your final task is upon you. Go forth, Heroes. The tenth awaits..._

The silence was deafening. The whole camp froze, heads turned towards the Chosen Hero, who stared down at the sword in his hands in shock.

"...What the fuck?" Legend's voice cut through the air, breaking the others out of their trance. "The tenth?"

"There's another hero?" Hyrule asked, looking at the sword in confusion. "But... we've been together for months. If there's someone else how come we haven't found him yet?"

"And isn't this Time's Hyrule?" Wind added. "Why would there be another hero here?"

Sky met eyes the Hero of Time, who was watching him with an unreadable expression. There was... something showing in his eye. Recognition? Sky couldn't be sure. As though realising that the younger man was studying him, Time turned away. But not before Sky noticed the slight tremor in his hands.

* * *

_The tenth.... the tenth... the tenth..._

The sword's words kept repeating in Time's mind like an ominous drum beat, stirring something up inside him. He felt urgency, concern. _But why?_

Did he know this tenth hero? Had he met him before? Is that why a pit of dread had began to grow in his chest?

A hand on his shoulder pulled him from his thoughts. He turned to see Twilight next to him, a clear look of worry and question on his face. Time shook his head slightly and gave his protege a small smile, silently trying to tell him he was fine. Twilight nodded, but the lines that creased his forehead didn't disappear. Time mentally kicked himself for worrying him-- this wasn't the time to be wallowing in his own feelings. If the sword was telling them truth, they had a job to do.

Another brother to find.

* * *

They were _so_ close to Lon Lon Ranch, so close to home, Time felt his heart _ache_ at the thought of finally being in her arms once more.

But it was not to be.

A trail of black-blooded monsters led them away from the farm, away from Malon, gradually guiding them closer and closer inland. It didn't take long for Time to know where they were headed.

And as the group finally crested the forest's edge, there it was, in all it's glory.

The Temple of Time.

It was a sore spot for Time, and there had never been any reason to go there before. Apparently, it was a sore spot for Wild, too, as he tensed in silence as they made their way across the field.

But something was awry.

Silhouetted figures spotted the grasslands that stretched around the temple. There were so many, too many...

Hundreds of them. Monsters.

_"Shit,"_ Twilight hissed. The group doubled back behind the treeline where there was cover. "We may be heroes, but not even _we_ could take on that many."

Warriors nodded. "We can't charge in, not even with a strategy-- not that there'd be a viable one in this situation." For a moment he pondered, finger curled 'round his chin.

"Wild, Wind..." he said, looking to each of them with a calculated look. "You two are the most sneaky. Do you think you could scout things out? If it's too dangerous or too risky, we'll forge ahead to the next town and figure out something there."

Wind and Wild nodded at each other. Time was particularly concerned with that familiar spark he saw in the latter's eyes.

They'd be in for a show.

* * *

"Oh, this is gonna be _fun,_ " Wild smirked through his mask.

Wind looked elated, practically vibrating in excitement. Wild's look told him that this was _not_ going to be a sneaky mission, in the end. After all, he was without policing from Time and Twilight. Why wouldn't he relish the chance?

"What's the plan?"

There, standing valiantly in front of the Temple of Time stood a statue: Hylia poised with her hands together. It sparkled in the moonlight, clearly a _very_ new addition.

It was enormous, but more importantly, it was _metal._ Wild waved his Sheikah Slate at Wind and grinned.

The two snuck a bit closer, getting within range of the statue. They were dangerously close to the monsters, all grumbling and snorting about them, but neither Wind nor Wild was concerned.

Wild grabbed his slate, clicked it, and aimed.

_WHOOSH!_

The statue flew into the air, weightless, before Wild steered it toward the left and dropped it. Monsters squealed in terror, running desperately away from the terror that was Hylia's statue, only to be crushed in moments.

The statue exploded, debris taking out waves upon waves of monsters. Wild aimed at the torso-- the largest remaining part-- and began swinging it madly, clobbering monsters right and left.

The group had _easily_ caught sight of what they were doing at this point, and had begun charging down the hill.

"Sneak mission! _I said sneak mission!"_ Warriors was screaming as he charged at a cowering Moblin.

But Wild just cackled, chucking the remaining metal onto the largest cluster of monsters. The largest cluster being _three._

"Well, I daresay I've got the most kills outta all you!" Wild teased through his laughter. It was silenced by a bonk on the head from Twilight.

"You already _did,_ mister trigger-happy bomb-gremlin..." Legend was muttering under his breath. 

It was a nice distraction for Time and Wild, for that one split second, before they looked back to that temple. A temple that reeked of death for them both.

With a deep breath, they headed in.

* * *

He had visited the Temple of Time plenty in his own world, but seeing it in its original form; a structure of intricate white, black and grey stone, sent a small pang through Wild's chest, causing the thrill of the earlier battle to dwindle. He stared up at the cavernous ceiling, completely devoid of holes and broken beams. It truly was a magnificent sight. To think that was destined to be nothing but a hollow shell of it's former self... Wild clenched the edge of his tunic, an all to familiar feeling of shame bubbling up inside him. He wondered what Time would think if he could say what had become of the temple is his time. He threw a glance at the eldest, who to his surprise, was striding ahead purposefully, a blank mask on his face.

Wild didn't know much about Time's journey; no one did, except for Twilight, but even then his knowledge was limited. However from what little he did know he would've thought that the temple would've cause more of reaction in him. Just what had happened to him here?

"So, what is it we're here for?" Four asked, his voice echoing round the vast chamber they stood in. The group looked to their leader.

"Something isn't right..." he muttered darkly. His eye darted around the room. He could feel it. Something was off.

Something was watching them. Something terrifying, something hate-filled, something that sneered at them from beyond...

...Beyond what?

And that's when he saw it.

The marble of the Temple of Time was intricate, not a scratch on it, accept for _there._ Time walked over to the wall, running his fingers over the indented scrawls. Three simple notes lay across a bar measure, notes so familiar that they began to play softly in his mind.

No... they weren't in his head. The melody... the song that took his everything away... It echoed throughout the room.

He knew what he had to do.

"Grab onto me. Everyone." And without a single sound, the boys did. For the first time in a long time, they heard a lilt of a tremble in their leader's voice.

Time brought out his small, blue ocarina, took a breath--

And played.

* * *

It was all too familiar, the feeling of sinking backward into the endless flow of time. But something was strange about it, something was different. When Time allowed himself to open his eye once more, he knew why.

At first, Wild thought they were in his Hyrule, the Temple of Time in shambles around them. But the sky was dark, full of those same swirls of dark colors from Time's dreams, and when they walked outside, it was a perfect, dark reflection of Time's Hyrule.

The forest of trees were dead. The grass was browned and rotten, sinking into the desolate earth. The air was thick with malice, dark energy floating and pulsing around them, almost as though it were alive. The gaze of hate they had felt in just moments ago became unbearably strong.

This was hell.

* * *

They set up camp right then and there. They couldn't exactly move anyway, what with Time kneeling on the ground, lost to shock and pain. Wild and Hyrule looked particularly haunted as well, mouths shut and eyes glued to the ground.

Just what was this place?

They couldn't get a fire to start. Whatever was in the air here was so thick, so heavy, so suffocating, it smothered the flames before they could even breathe.

The boys stayed silent the whole time, nibbling on rations as they stared at the cold logs at the center of their camp. Not a word was said through the night, not a look exchanged between anyone.

The darkness of this world was so formidable that it was already breaking them apart.

They probably would have stayed in that nihilist state if not for Fi.

The Master Sword gleamed once more, and this time, instead of just a voice, a beautiful, blue hologram emerged from the sword.

Tears filled Sky's eyes as Fi gentle set a translucent hand on his head.

_"The curse that haunts you all, the bane that follows your line to the ends of the earth, the evil that I was unable to quell... It is time to put it to rest."_

She pointed to the castle on the horizon, then petered out.

* * *

Fire. That was all Link could see through the dark haze. He was unsure how he had gotten here or even where here was. He let his body walk through the ash-covered paths. He watched flames lick every wall and patch of grass in sight through the eyes that were not his own. A gleeful laugh escaped his lips. Was he happy? Did he want to see Hyrule in flames? He couldn't be sure any more.

Not too far in the distance, a large black object loomed over him. He tried to focus to see what it was. As his body moved closer it became clear. Hyrule Castle. Warped and destroyed; a beacon of pure darkness. How long had it been like that? He had no idea. Had it been a year? Ten? Or had it been mere weeks? Time was nothing to him anymore. All he was was a vessel. Nothing more.

He felt himself frown.

"Strange..." his lips muttered. He found himself looking back down the path they had just traversed. It was obscured by a thick layer of smoke but he knew what lay down there. The Temple of Time. Why was he so fascinated by it now? They had been there before. What was different?

And then he felt it. Something he hadn't felt in a very long time. It spread throughout his whole body.

Warmth.

Through the haze, a soft blue glow flickered. He felt his body double over, clutching at his head, curses falling from his mouth. But Link wasn't afraid. It felt... familiar.

 _Master..._ a gentle voice called. Master? Was that him?

The glow grew brighter and stronger until before him was a ghostly shape. Something in Link's heart told him it was a spirit. A spirit he knew.

 _Master..._ the voice said again. It was soft, calm and steady. But there was something else there too; something Link had grown very familiar with. Pain.

_Master... the chosen nine... they will come for you._

"NO!" came his voice, harsh and filled with venom. Link's hands dug into his hair, damning the spirit, yelling at her to leave.

_They... will... find... you..._

The glow was fading. Link desperatly wanted to reach for her, to beg her to stay, to ask her to tell him who 'the nine' were. But the haze was returning clouding his vision was hatred once more.

Link's body knelt in the ashes, panting heavily.

"Like hell they'll find you..." he growled. A cruel smiled spread across his face. "This is _my_ Hyrule, heroes. And in my Hyrule, we play by _my_ rules."

Link felt his body rise, continuing the journey to the castle. Yet, even with the darkened thoughts dominating his head, Link could still hear her voice.

_The nine will find you._

* * *

This Hyrule was hell, indeed, but it was void of _everything._ There was no movement, no sound, no nothing... not even monsters. The group saw plenty of bones, yes. But living ones there were not. It was empty, save for the oblivion of an ever-burning world.

The closer the castle got, the heavier the air became. It felt like they were walking through honey, everything so viscous, too heavy. It became harder and harder to breathe, like they were hiking the tallest mountain in all of Hyrule. Sky was at the back, gasping and wheezing, an asthma attack oncoming. Wild quietly handed him a concoction, rubbing a hand gently across his back.

They made their way through palace, mindless. The corroding castle was a terrifying sight to them all, leaving nausea in their stomachs and unshakable horror in their minds. No one really had a direction to go, they just somberly wandered through the ruins. They turned corners, never terribly sure of what they'd see next, what terror awaited them, and then--

The throne room.

The very place they had all been knighted. The heart of the castle, the heart of Hyrule, a sacred place where both the corrupted and divine have ruled.

There, slouched on the golden throne, desecrated Hylian emblem behind him, sat the greatest tyrant of them all.

"And here you are," Dark Link drawled. His legs were crossed in front of him lazily, head resting against his hand. The Master Sword shook from vibrations on Sky's back, screaming out to all them, to Dark Link, begging, crying, wishing...

_"Save him!"_

"Took you long enough."


	2. Chapter 2

Despite the fog in their minds, the terrible heavy atmosphere in this world, the feeling of those red eyes staring them to the core, they wasted no time.

Wild landed the first blow, whipping out his bow and shooting an arrow aimed right between Dark Link's brows-- a deadly blow, right at the start.

But the arrow just bounced off the other's pale gray skin, falling to the floor with a pathetic _tink!_ Dark Link's manic grin grew.

"You really think something _that_ pathetic would do anything?"

Dread pooled in their stomachs, hearts beating in overdrive, until Warriors drew his sword and raised it high.

"Ranged attacks might not work, but we don't know about others. Charge!"

With a series of barbaric cries, each and every one of them ran forward, but when Warriors was just about to land the first blow on Dark Link, who was still simply smiling on his throne, he disappeared.

"So eager, aren't we?"

Legend spun around to the shadows behind him, frost wand spitting ice at Dark Link in a deadly arc. This time, the magic clung, though their adversary seemed unperturbed by it. His arm was frozen solid, but Dark Link simply waved a hand over it and the ice began melting rapidly.

"Nine heroes and you can't even manage a single blow... Do you even know what you're up against here? Do you realize what's going to happen? The so-called Goddess sent you on a mission you were destined to fail. I'll take my time killing each and every one of you. I think I'll start with... _you."_

Red eyes locked onto Wind, the youngest letting out a shriek of agony as dark energy swirled around him, coiling into a death-grip on his body. Dark Link cackled maniacally.

And then another scream joined them. One of pure, utter _rage._

Sky lifted his arm back, Master Sword singing out with a glowing blue, and swung his arm down. The sword-beam was the brightest one they'd yet to see. Dark Link's eyes widened as the light barreled at him. It burst upon meeting him, blinding flash rivaling the sun's glare. Sky cried out, cradling his hands as the Master Sword clattered to the ground.

He'd been... burned?

"Where... Where am I...?"

There stood Time, looking ten years younger with a face bare of markings with both eyes wide open.

In that moment, everything stopped. Everyone stared in silent horror at the young man who now stood before them, looking as though he was about to keel over at any moment. His eyes swivelled around madly, traveling over each of the heroes before they came to a rest on Time. The two locked gazes, neither saying a word. What could be said?

After what felt like a lifetime of agonising silence, the new face spoke.

"W...who...?" he started, voice shaking terribly. Before you could utter another word, he lurched forward suddenly with a pained yell, clutching at his head. Time watched as... _he_ fell to his knees, fingers digging into his hair, whimpering. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know if there was anything he _could_ do. He continued to look on helplessly as the younger curled up into himself, murmuring incoherent whispers laced with agony. Time wanted to do something. He had to.

Hesitantly, he took a small step forward.

"Wait." He was halted by a hand on his arm. Twilight stood by his side, a conflicted look on his face. "We don't know who he is. Or if we can trust him," he said in a low voice.

"He's right," Warriors said, standing on Time's other side, voice significantly less lowered than the ranch-hands. "For all we know this is a trick." His eyes travelled uncertainly between Time and his younger doppelganger.

Time opened his mouth to speak but before he could, they were interrupted by a horrific scream.

A blast of dark energy exploded from the body crumpled on the floor. The heroes hurriedly moved to shield themselves as a pillar of pure malice shot up, colliding with ceiling.

The whole castle shook violently as more and more darkness built, shrouding the man who was still screaming. By Hylia, he was _screaming_. Time had never heard such desperation, such pain, from anyone before. He tried to move but the pure terror of what they were witnessing kept him rooted to the spot.

Just as the darkened haze began to completely shroud the man from view, he locked eyes with Time once more.

Time could barely register any sound but his own rapid heartbeat. But when the man shrouded in malice met his eyes and opened his mouth, he knew exactly what he was saying.

"Help... me..."

Time stared as the malice took his body once again. _His_ body.

Dark Link couldn't be stopped from the outside, but...

Time knew what he had to do.

* * *

For just a moment, Link had been able to breathe again. For one, blessed moment, he had seen clearly through his own eyes, heard with his own ears, spoken with his own words. But it was all snatched away in mere moments.

Ah, just a dream then.

So Link just succumbed back into the agonizing, swirling mass of darkness.

* * *

Time played his ocarina. It wasn't a song of power, a song that would enable to impossible to become reality. No, this song was _magical,_ filled with something no words could describe.

Love.

Time played Epona's Song as his brothers held off the fiend of shadow attacking them from all sides. He could hear shouts of anger, gasps of pain, swords arcing through the air... but Time just played.

This was all he could do.

* * *

It was easier not to think about it. What had just happened... it had felt all too real, but... Link knew it was just another mind game. Another trick up the malice's sleeve.

But then he heard it.

It was soft and sweet, something so incredibly nostalgic that it brought tears to his eyes. His... eyes? No, he wasn't in control. Link could feel his body reacting to the quiet melody, though the malice still held the reins.

No. This was all wrong. Link was in control. He could take it back, he _could._ The song brought him a strength he'd forgotten, memories of a smile as bright as the sun.

Malon.

He could see her in his mind's eye. She was one of two things he'd deemed as home-- Malon, and the Great Deku Tree. And now, among the oppressive darkness around him, Link could see them. The nine. Each with faces so familiar, so similar, eyes holding each of their own burdens, too old for their age. He heard _her_ ring out, calling _"Master, fight!"_ encouraging him to find what he'd buried after all this time.

Hope. Wisdom. Love. Power. Laughter.

_Courage._

Link felt himself become buoyant, even in the heavy grasp of the malice, and _soar._ With all his strength, he pushed and _pushed,_ screaming in his mind as he fought that terrible, horrifying darkness he'd allowed himself to become oh-so-familiar with. He was Atlas, straining against the weight of the world, the weight of _everything._

He held that darkness with the grit and strength of a titan, and _pushed._

* * *

Shadows swirled all around them, deep black inky ropes that lashed out at each of them them with incredible force, then dissolving into a mist as they retaliated. There had been few times during their time together that the had felt truly hopeless but if there was ever a time for that feeling to arise, it was now.

That battle wore on and on. The malice attacked with a vicious power that rivaled that of the Demon King himself. At this point the heroes were doing their best to stay alive more than anything else.

Then the song started. It swirled around them all, the soft, loving tune cutting above the sounds of weapons clashing and battle cries.

And then there was light.

Time's song trailed off as a sudden beam of golden-white burst from the pillar malice, illuminating the room is a brilliant glow. The shadows shrieked and writhed, seeming to lose control as the light crawled up each tendril.

Sensing the opportunity, the heroes leapt back in the fight with renewed vigor. Just as hopeless had crept up on them before, intense courage filled their hearts. Swords swung, arrows were fired, every blow increasing the glow that filled them with strength.

* * *

Time stood, his ocarina resting on his lips. All around him was shouting and fighting. But his focus was drawn straight in front of him. A glorious pillar of light had shot through the darkness and was spreading all around them. The malice looked as though it was trying to fight back; tendrils of wispy shadow that weren't attacking the others looked as though they were trying to break into the pillar. But it was fruitless. It was bright and strong and powerful and-

Wait.

Time centered his gaze to the base of the pillar where... something moved. Cautiously, he took a step forward, then an other. And that's when he realized. It wasn't an object or force created by either the darkness or the light. It was was a hand. And it was desperately reaching for him.

Without a moment's thought, Time ran.

Through the blinding agony and the warmth of running through both evil and light itself, Time reached out his hand. In a state of chaos, of terror, of nothingness, something solid grabbed him wrist, and he yanked as hard as he could. There was screaming ringing in his ears from what he thought was both himself and... himself.

With a final tug, the tenth hero came free.

Time toppled over backwards, the younger version of himself falling right on top of him. He had tears pouring from his eyes as he looked right at Time, trembling like a leaf.

"Is... Is this real?"

Time had not even a moment to answer. The mass of malice shuddered in on itself, condensing into a tiny, floating orb of pure _hate._

It was going to do something big, something none of them would survive.

Warriors was yelling at them to fall back, to find cover. They all ran, ducking behind pillars and scattered debris as the ground shook, quaking at the force of the rage pouring out from that one little sphere.

Everyone found cover, but the tenth hero just stood there. Staring.

Without a word, he held out his hand. Out of nowhere, the Master Sword materialized, humming that familiar note with such power it rivaled the malice in the air. Not looking back, the tenth began running forward, right at the great orb of malice.

"Stop! You'll get yourself killed!"

No one was sure who said it, or if they all did, but they certainly all thought it. A new brother, someone who they'd just found, and he was running towards a suicide mission.

But the decision had been made.

The tenth hero jumped, raised the sword, and--

Everything exploded into light.

* * *

_"My job is finished. At long last, the curse is finally lifted. My masters, thank you. Each of you... You've taught me much. Thank you for everything."_

* * *

They came to, all ten of them, in Hyrule field. Everything was spinning unnaturally, flames dying out as color replaced the pallid, hateful appearance of the strange hell that had once been Hyrule.

Staring at the vast blue sky, covered in terrible burns, the tenth stood victorious.

A small beam of light crashed down from the heavens. Everyone flinched back as much as their bodies would allow, dazed. From the light stepped a glowing, haloed silhouette, details of their feminine form hidden by blinding gold and white.

_"Hero of the Kokiri... you've done much, survived the unimaginable. For you, I grant you this gift."_

The figure-- the godddess, _Hylia herself_ \-- waved an arm at the Hyrule that was slowly piecing itself back together.

_"And for all of you... you shall all be granted a gift. But first and foremost, your created bonds have become stronger than anything I could have ever imagined. For each of you, I grant permanence to your brotherhood."_

Ten identical pendants found their way around their necks, glowing, golden stones shimmering endlessly against their chests.

_"Your quest is finished, your bloodline freed. Heroes of Nayru, Din and Farore, may you live the rest of your lives in peace."_

Without another word, she was gone. The tenth hero-- the Hero of the Kokiri-- collapsed onto the ground.

The rest of them stared at each other. For what felt like an eternity, they were stuck in shock.

It was... over?


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OFFICIAL ART FROM US FOR KIRI! Lineart by myself (GaZell) and color by mew! (She did such a good job asdhjska holy heck):  
> https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/557796683501666304/721297515604869170/Untitled65.png
> 
> We legitimately started crying THREE WHOLE PEOPLE made LEGIT FANART for this little fic. Wow. You guys are actually amazing. 
> 
> By Zo:  
> https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/551684092828188672/721153914749321309/kiri_now_with_watermark-p1ealfsnqp920oo0d7m1vi36h9.png?width=548&height=548
> 
> By Fidget the Crazy:  
> https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/721467411173474334/721875696531668992/image0.jpg?width=254&height=587
> 
> By Aurica:  
> https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/551684092828188672/721131092429766727/IMG_20200613_003552.jpg?width=440&height=587

Link felt warmth.

Odd. He must be dreaming. Strange images flashed before him. Ones not clouded in black mist. He saw people. Nine, to be precise. He didn't know who they were but they seemed oddly familiar to him. Then there was that older man. The one in that daunting armor. Why did it feel like he had met him before?

He saw inky black tendrils trying to grab hold of him. He saw a bright golden light banishing them.

There was something else... someone reaching for him, holding him. And then... more light? But it had been white this time, blinding. It receded as quick as it came and Link was tossed back into darkness.

Why had his dream been that vivid? He had never been able to dream of anything other than smoke and fire for as long as he could remember.

It was at that moment he felt something else. Something slightly rough yet gentle was resting on his forehead. The warmth emanated from that point, a soothing sense of comfort shooting through his body. It was bizarre, he thought. He had never felt anything psychical in his dreams before-- at least none that he remembered.

Link reveled in the feeling. He didn't know if he would ever get a taste of anything like it again. He wanted to imprint the sensation of _feeling_ in his memory.

Just as suddenly as that warmth appeared, it vanished. And then there was something else. A noise. Soft and droning, something he hadn't heard in a long time. It sounded like... a voice?

"...thing has changed...ink he needs more time..."

It _was_ a voice. A soft, male voice. It was quiet and hard for him to hear clearly but it was unmistakable.

Link was confused. Why was he suddenly dreaming of voices and things touching him? It all felt so... so _real_. But it couldn't be real. Nothing in had been real for goodness knows how long. There was no way--

_But... maybe it_ could _be_.

Overcome by a sudden, desperate flash of hope, Link tried to open his eyes. He found himself staring up at something vast, grand and blue, wisps of white dotted across it.

Was that the _sky_?

But where was the smoke? Where was the ash? And where was the black haze?

"He's awake!"

Link started, and, by some miracle, turned his head, finding himself face to face with a young man with brown hair and green tunic.

_Who in Ganon's name was he?_

A hand was on his chest, some of the fingers gently brushing over something on his skin and _by Hylia's forsaken name tha_ _t hurt._ Link tried to get away, tried to call for help, but all that left his mouth was a strangled whine as his body twitched in a pathetic attempt to move.

"Hey, take it easy. I need you to breathe with me, alright? Easy..." It was a deep voice coming from somewhere above him, behind his head. It was soothing, so soothing... The hand had moved off whatever was hurting him and pressed a rhythm into his chest. Link's heart was racing, leaping in his throat, clammy sweat covering inch of him, but he did his best to breathe through it.

Finally, some semblance of consciousness started to trickle through the inky black that had once again threatened his vision, but at that very same moment, something cool pressed against his side. The icy feeling spread from his torso to his head and toes. Every inch of his right side was enveloped in the soothing, cold sensation.

Then it exploded into _agony._

The darkness took over his vision once more.

* * *

Time had _finally_ gotten the Hero of the Kokiri to start breathing again, and just as the other's eyes flickered, Hyrule pressed a glowing hand to his right side.

The new hero practically _seized,_ eyes rolling into the back of his head with a strangled sound coming from his throat. It was so full of _pain._ It didn't even sound _human._

"What was that about?! We finally got him to come to and you go and you make him pass out again!"

Time wasn't too sure why he felt so-- What was this feeling, anyway? Concern, perhaps?-- whatever _this_ was over the Hero of the Kokiri. Whatever it was, it made him sound childish in that moment; nothing like the leader he should be.

"We need to get him somewhere safe where I can take a proper look at his wounds. Time, this is your Hyrule. right?" Hyrule's gaze was focused and calculated. He was always at his best when he was healing, looking after others.

"It is my Hyrule, but...

The others looked at him expectantly as his gaze circumnavigated their surroundings. Time's brows scrunched up in confusion.

"The Temple of Time looks different. Well, it looks the _same_ as it did then, ten years ago..." he muttered to himself. For a moment, he was lost in thought, then turned to the group in affirmation.

"This is my Hyrule, yes. But from about a decade ago."

* * *

Time travel took a huge toll on Time throughout his adventures. Physically, it was straining. Mentally, it was _torture._

But this. This took the cake.

There stood Malon, ten years younger, tears pouring from her face as she took in the beaten body of their new hero. The hero whose name was _Hero of the Kokiri._ Had Time not been good enough for them, the very people who raised him? Did this hero have something over him?

Time watched as the farmhands both sang this Link's praises and worried over him. He sat back as they took him into the ranch and cared for him, listened to their sighs of relief and gratitude.

"He did it! He really did it! I thought everything would be gone when the castle was taken over! The land itself shook and turned black! But here he is! Alive, though not well, our Link saved us all and healed our land!"

A younger Talon was standing on a bale of hay, others gathered around him as they cheered and cheered for their hero.

Ah... so this is what Time had missed.

* * *

Wild stood by the Hero of the Kokiri's bedside. He poured healing potions down his throat and bandaged up the areas Hyrule had deemed "good enough." He was absolutely _covered_ in malice burns. They scattered from his face down to his feet, enveloping his right side in ugly swirls of red and purple. Wild brought a hand up to his own face, rubbing the scar tissue that burned the more he looked at the other.

He knew the struggles of being scarred so terribly. He knew the pain it brought, the phantom flames that licked at the skin, the stares others gave when they saw his deformed face. He knew how hard it was to go through all that, to work through it, to realize that no, these are not marks to remind him of his failures.

These scars are trophies of his victory over the impossible.

"Guess I'm not the only one, now," he muttered.

He ran a gentle hand through others long hair. Long, just like his. Slowly, he began twining the the thick strands into a braid, just as Flora had showed him.

"It's going to suck, Kiri. It's going to suck so much, but we're going to be here for you."

Wild jumped as a small groan came from bed. He looked over to see the hero's clouded eyes blinking up at the ceiling in confusion. His hands twitched and for a moment Wild was terrified he was going to react the way he had before. Thankfully, he merely grasped weakly at the covers, a soft whine escaping from his lips.

Hesitantly, Wild reached out and gently covered the other's hand with his own... Which may have been a mistake.

The Hero of the Kokiri suddenly shot upright, yanking his hand away as though he'd touched fire. He ripped the covers off in terror, scrambling to get out of the bed.

"Wait! It's okay!" Wild called to him, desperately trying to calm him down. But it was fruitless. The hero pushed himself up off the bed... only to immediately crash to the floor. Wild rushed to his side, shouting for anyone who could hear him. He crouched down by the fallen hero who lay on his side, curled into himself with a whimper. Wild itched to reach out to him and assure him that he would be okay, but instead he simply sat there next to him, worried what touching him again would do.

"It will be okay, Kiri," he whispered sadly. "I promise it will all be okay."

Hyrule had taken to the hero's other side, muttering sweet nothings to him just as Wild was. Legend came in and quietly kneeled in front. The four of them sat there together as the Hero of the Kokiri slowly took in deeper breaths, unraveled from his ball, and made to stand up once more.

"No you don't," Hyrule said, pressing a hand onto the other's good shoulder. "You're covered in burns and you need rest. No horseplay for you-- doctor's orders."

Hyrule's voice was authoritative, and none of the Links had had the gall to question him. But this one did.

Eyes wide, tears pooling in those dark, red-flecked royal blues, this Link shook his head.

"Outside," he whispered. His voice was a broken thing and held indescribable agony. "Need to see..."

And after everything they'd knew he'd been through, Legend, Hyrule and Wild couldn't deny him such a simple request. Carefully, touching only his left side, the three of them gently hoisted him up. The tenth winced in pain, but bit back the cry building in his throat. He looked to Wild.

"You..." he croaked. "Call me...?"

"What did I call you?" Wild asked in confirmation. The other nodded. "Er, well, it's a long story but all of us have nicknames... more on that later. But Hylia called you Hero of the Kokiri, and I thought it was weird to call you by the name of a _people,_ so I guess... is Kiri okay with you?"

The other was looking to Wild with wonder. His eyes undoubtedly lingered on Wild's scars as his own charred, malice-burned face scrunched up. But there was no judgement in that gaze, just simple curiosity. He looked back to Wild's eyes. With that same awe, he nodded, tears brimming over his cheeks.

Wild smiled. "Kiri it is, then!"

The four of them continued on their journey to the front door of the ranch. Kiri leaned heavily on Wild and it took far longer than it should have, but Kiri was determined where the others were patient. Legend and Hyrule muttered to one another as Wild had a one-sided conversation with the Hero-- Kiri.

Time, Twilight, Wind, Warriors, Hyrule, Legend, Wild, Sky, Four... and Kiri.

* * *

When he made it outside, practically being carried by the other-- Wild, he called himself (what a strange nickname...)-- he froze.

For what felt like lifetimes, all Link (or... was it Kiri now?) had become accustomed to the view of ash, fire, destruction, terror... His Hyrule, his world... he'd let it down. He lived with that knowledge for so long, he'd accepted his fate in knowing that that view would be the only one he'd see for the rest of his life.

And yet here he was. The fields were lush with green, healthy grass. Myriad flowers bloomed over the field. The scent of ash had been displaced from the air, the somewhat off-putting yet nostalgic odor of farm life taking it over. The spring breeze wrapped gently around him, stinging his burns as if to tell him, _'No, this is not a dream.'_

"I'm... home?"

For a moment, the four of them just stood staring at Hyule Field, Kiri trembling in shock. A familiar, deep voice rang out.

"Yes. You're home."

Kiri turned, as much as he could with Wild holding him up, to see that older man watching them from nearby. He looked so familiar... but why? The two of them gazed silently each other for a moment before it suddenly clicked. The other had strange markings over his face, a scar over his right eye and was clearly quite a bit older than him... but other than that Kiri realized that he was practically looking into a mirror.

"You're... you're...?" He tried move closer to the man, but as soon as he shifted his weight from Wild, his right knee buckled. He would've fallen again, saved only by the scarred boy's quick reflexes.

The man approached them and sat down on the doorstep, patting the spot next him. Kiri hesitated slightly before slowly sliding from Wild's grip and landing gracelessly beside him. The man gave a look to Wild, who immediately nodded and headed back inside with the other two - he was pretty sure they'd called themselves Legend and Hyrule (strange names these people had) - in tow.

A heavy silence fell between the two left outside. Finally, Kiri decided to break it.

"Who...'re you?" he asked, painfully aware of how slurred and cracked his words were. The man seemed conflicted on what to say before he turned to him with a small smile.

"I'm known as Time these days."

Kiri blinked at him. "Time? Like..."

"Like the concept, yes." He let the moment hang, and Kiri felt like he should've been laughing or something. But all he felt was confusion.

"You look... like me."

The man-- Time-- let out a deep sigh. He looked at Kiri, fiery eye determined, serious.

"I'm sure you're wondering what's going on. It's quite a crazy story, so if you'd like me to give you some time before the explanation, just nod your head. If you're fine, shake it. You've already strained your voice, and it sounds like it could use some rest."

Kiri thought for a moment, slightly taken aback by this man's patience for him _and_ the fact that he knew his vocal chords were probably starting to hurt. Which they did. Not too many people were mindful of Kiri's past selective mutism...

This man was so _strange._

Kiri thought for a moment. Time was certainly right when he assumed Kiri wanted some answers. He was also right in regards to the fact that Kiri was still reeling in shock. But... he'd seen weird before. Kiri was pretty familiar with crazy, what with being trapped in endless darkness for Ganon-knows-how-long.

So he shook his head, ready for whatever "crazy" Time had ready for him. With a nod, Time began.

"We are heroes of different times, and, for some of us, places. The thing is, we're all the _same_ hero-- Link. I'm going to assume that's your name as well. Hylia," Kiri noted that the name was said with some venom (which he understood completely), "sent the nine of us on a journey to stop the great evil known as Dark Link. He'd been messing with the flow of time and space, empowering monsters and sending them to different realms. It was our mission to stop it.

"What Hylia _failed_ to mention is that Dark Link was actually just you corrupted by malice. I don't know how you got _there,_ but it's up to you when to tell us, if at all. Anyway, yeah. To sum it up: we're all time-travelling reincarnations of the same person who were sent to destroy evil-- all evil, for good, apparently."

Kiri wasn't as familiar with crazy as he thought.

* * *

Sky hadn't spoken since the final battle had ended. The moment they were in Lon Lon Ranch, he hunkered down into a bed, room bear around him, and didn't leave it. He didn't touch any food or water brought to him. He just curled in on himself and stared at the sheath of the Master Sword.

The empty sheath.

Fi had meant it when her job was done. Evil really _was_ eradicated, and for _all time,_ otherwise she'd still be in one piece, patiently waiting for the next hero to pull her from her pedestal.

Sky couldn't stop the tears from escaping his eyes. His face was schooled into an empty mask, but the stream of rivulets didn't stop. Sky could feet the ghost of her fingers running through his hair one last time, lachrymose gaze locked in place.

To the others, her last words had been a consignment to sweet oblivion, the acceptance that her duty was done. But those weren't her last words.

_"Skyward Hero, thank you. For you to be my first master has been an honor. Though my soul-- the sword-- will no longer be here with you, I am watching from where I am meant to be. Where you are meant to be._

_"The Sky._

_"Thank you, Skyward Hero. May we meet again."_

Fi had been so hopeful in her words. She'd learned happiness from Sky, and now she'd learned hope...

So if he'd been the teacher of such a wonderful thing, how is it that he was so lost? How is it that he was drowning? How is it that he is _hopeless?_ Why couldn't he be happy for her, for himself, for his brothers? The evil was gone! The curse he'd failed to prevent was broken! And yet... And yet...

Sky let the dam break. He'd never stopped crying, but now he let himself go. He sobbed, heart-wrenching gasps tearing from his throat. He grabbed a pillow and shoved in his face, trying to muffle the sounds of agony escaping his lips.

"Sky?"

It was Warriors. Sky couldn't look up from his pillow to face him, but he felt the weight of the bed sink on his left. An arm reached around to Sky's right shoulder, pulling him close into Warriors' chest. He didn't say anything, just let Sky cradle into the Master Sword's sheath, crying out for his lost companion. 

After a while, Sky had calmed enough to breathe properly through his tears. He was still crying, but he'd pulled his face from the pillow and stared at the wood floorboards. With a deep breath, Warriors began to speak. 

"As a captain of an army, I know what it's like to lose a friend. I know what it's like to lose many, some close and some mere acquaintances. You and the sword... I don't think any of us can put words to the friendship you two had, and I'm sorry she had to leave." 

Compassion spilled from Warriors' tone as he went on, Sky looking up to him, bewildered. 

"I really am, I mean it. But I want you to know that... _Goddess, this is so cheesy..._ I want you to know that the bond _we_ have between the nine of us-- er, well, ten of us now-- is just as unspeakably strong as the one you had with her. It might not be the same but," Warriors fiddled with the golden charm around his neck, lifting it up to Sky with a smile. 

"But we're not going anywhere." 

* * *

Kiri sat, staring at Time, stunned. _Incarnations of the same hero? Disrupting space and time?_

"Wait," he started. His vocal chords grated against each other.

"You can sign if you want," Time said suddenly.

"What?" Kiri whispered, throat raw. Time gave him another small smile and raised his hands.

_**You can sign.** _

He knew he could sign. How? Surely being born of the same spirit couldn't mean they were all the same. So how did he know? Hesitantly, Kiri raised his own hands.

_**The one who brought you all together was...**_ **_Hylia..._** He stopped mid-sign, his hands trembling. The name was familiar, it brought small bouts of anger, frustration to his core, but he didn't know _why._

Time looked at him, understanding in his eye. "You don't remember much, do you? You've been through a lot. It'll come back soon enough."

Kiri looked out to the horizon, nature cascading the landscape in endless shades of green. The sky was a brilliant blue gently painted with clouds. And yet, in his mind's eye, all Kiri could see was red. The fire, the smoke, the ash. The darkness. That had been all he had known for so long. But ripping apart the fabric of time? Fighting heroes from different era's?

He thought back to times he had been able to see through the black haze. The blurry figures of people he battled.

And now it turned out they were... the same. People cut from the same cloth. And he had fought them. Tried to _kill_ them.

He felt a gentle hand on his back and realized that he had hunched into himself, tears once again falling down his cheeks, leaving a burning trail on the right side.

"It's not your fault," Time whispered, rubbing his back carefully. "It may have been your body, but it wasn't your spirit."

"How would you know?" Kiri snapped, startling the older hero. His voice was still rough and it pained him to use it but it was laced with anger. Anger for his forgotten years. Anger at the darkness. Anger at Ganon. And anger at this person who seemed to know more about him right now than he did.

Time studied him quietly for a moment. He sighed heavily.

"I know because," his hand wandered up to the right side of his face, lingering on the red markings. "The same thing has happened to me."

Kiri balked at that. The hell did that mean?

"A young boy, raised by a people that weren't even his own. He'd been abandoned to the Great Deku Tree of Hyrule Forest, left alone, stranded while still destined to be the chosen hero. He made a great deal of friends and enemies on his journey to awaken the Seven Sages, to take back the Triforce of Power from the tyrant, Ganon. Along the way he learned of songs that could bring peace to those in turmoil, melodies that could drown the sorrows of the downtrodden, tunes that could unravel time itself... The fabled hero, Link, and his companion, Epona, traveled the land of Hyrule to restore peace alongside Princess Zelda."

Time turned to Kiri whose blood had rushed from his head, leaving his mind spinning.

"How... How do you...?"

"We heroes don't share the same past. We share a name, we share the villain, we share the sword and we share our triumphs, our defeats. But you, Hero of the Kokiri. You're _me._ I am _you._ We are one in the same. You're me before... before..." Time choked up, trying to find the words.

_**How come you're so much older? What did you go through that I haven't? And why?** _

"Well, I'm not positive, but... I think... From what I've heard, there's a bit of incongruence in what the Hero of Time accomplished in his journeys. Twilight, my protege, claims that the Hero of Time never really existed in his history. There was no recognition of his deeds. Wind, the youngest over there--" Time gestured over to a sprightly young boy-- "describes a world in which the Hero of Time succeeds. However, he leaves to fulfill a confidentially kept duty. In the end, the evil that was once sealed away breaks free and floods the world, turning Hyrule into a large ocean of islands."

Time sighed, and ran a hand down his face.

"Hyrule and Legend, though... They come the remnants of a Hyrule that mention a different story for the Hero of Time. The one who... The one who was defeated."

Kiri's brain slowly began to piece things together. Vertigo seized him as the realization slowly dawned on him. _Damn it, why wouldn't the world stop spinning?_

"Time travel is strange, and it's virtually impossible to understand from the inside looking out, but... As far as I can tell, there were three timelines by the end of my-- of our-- journey.

"When I defeated Ganon, I was sent back in time to fulfill this 'confidential duty--' I can't imagine that the whole of Hyrule would be meant to know about time travel and the hero who'd left them. I was sent back to live my childhood in exile, keeping Ganon from rising to power in the first place. I embarked on another adventure, one that I, once again, would not be remembered for.

"Wind's timeline with the hero who left... Twilight's timeline with no mention of my name, but with accurate descriptions of my Zelda... Those were the timelines I made, the ones that I was a part of after defeating Ganon. That leaves one timeline unaccounted for. It leaves you.

"You look the same as I did when I fought Ganon the first time. Your Hyrule is a mirror of what mine looked like, just ten years ago. Hero of the Kokiri... you're--"

"I'm the Hero of Time," Kiri choked.

"The one who failed."

* * *

After what was possibly the longest conversation in the history of Hyrule, Kiri succumbed to sleep, injuries, shock and exhaustion knocking him out. Time gently carried him from the porch to Talon's bed, gently lying him down. He stared at his own, scarred, youthful face fast asleep in front of him. Without another word, he left to the living room.

The rest of them, along with Talon, had hunkered down on bedrolls and piles of pillows. Malon sat on a couch, clearly nervous as she fidgeted with her skirts. When Time entered, she stared at him for a long while, something shining in her eyes.

Malon of ten years ago, looking at him with her still-concealed love. That was weird.

Malon blinked and rose, smoothing down her clothes as she headed toward the room Time had just exited. Time breathed in relief when she was gone.

He turned to face the group. Nine pairs of eyes were staring at him expectantly.

"It's a long story, but... He blames himself. He thinks it's his fault, not Ganon's. Sounds awfully familiar."

Everyone's gaze shifted to Wild. With a quick blush from the attention, he jumped, then stared down at his mangled arm. Twilight rested a hand on his shoulder.

"We are all going to do our part in helping him. That being said, I do think that you and Time are going to be the ones helping him the most... Looks like I'll be a grand-mentor."

"Does that make me a great grand-mentor?" Time asked, bemused smile tracing his lips.

"You are the old man," Wind chided, and they all shared a laugh.

Everyone but Sky.

Warriors nudged him. "Hey, even if the evil is gone, it looks like we still have our work cut out for us. This isn't over yet. Based on how things were with Wild, this'll be an adventure in it of itself."

"Oh, come on, I wasn't that bad!"

Legend let a lock of hair fall over his eye and pouted. "It's not a phase, Time," he said, looking directly at Wild.

"Haha! Yeah, Wild was kinda scary at first," Hyrule added. He walked behind Wild and threw his hood over his head. "See? You didn't have a face for the first month we knew you!"

Wild flung the hood back off his head, cheeks bright red.

"Remember what happened when you guys stole my vai clothes? Yeah? Well, you all can have straight Goron Spice for breakfast tomorrow."

They bantered on, sunset turning to dusk. Sky sat cutting into a piece of wood mindlessly, staring straight through the piece he was working on. Eventually, he let out a breath, setting his carving tools aside. He turned to Warriors.

"Thank you."

* * *

Fire. Nothing but fire. It was everywhere. The grass, the buildings, everything was red. Kiri stood in the middle of it all, powerless. He wanted to move. He had to do something, _anything_. Hyrule was falling and he had to stop it.

"What can you do?" a voice said from behind him. Kiri whipped round. Time was standing right behind him, arms crossed, a furious look on his face. "You caused all this."

"W... what?" Kiri stuttered. Time looked around at the fire, his face filled with nothing but anger and distain.

"All of this... it's because you failed."

The flames suddenly burst into a giant blast of light. Kiri threw his hands over his face, wincing as pain lanced through his right side. When the glare cleared, he looked up to find the fire was gone replaced by... nothing. He was standing in black void. He looked around desperately but everything; the fields, the building, and even Time; were gone.

_"I failed. I did this,"_ he thought, wrapping his arms tightly around himself. He was alone.

_No._

His head jerked up at the sudden sound. A voice? He glanced around nervously, but there was still nothing.

_Of course you can't see me. I am within you, you foolish hero._

And then, there was only pain. It started in his head but within seconds it was everywhere. He fell to his knees, gasping for breath, trembling under the sheer power of what trying to overtake him. He put out his shaking hands to try and steady himself and that's when he saw it. Tendrils of shadows slowly creeping up his arms. He panicked, desperately scratching at his arms trying to so do anything to stop it.

_Not again!_ he thought. _Please not again!_

_You can't escape it. We are bound together. You are nothing more than a vessel._ the dark voice said, it's teasing tone tainted with pure hatred.

As the darkness came to claim him once more, there was only one think Kiri could do.

* * *

The other heroes shot awake to the sound of screaming. 

Everyone jumped up, some instinctively drawing their weapons, as the screams of their dreams bled into reality.

"It's Kiri!" Legend exclaimed, dashing off towards the bedroom. The rest followed, not far behind.

"Wait, guys!" Wild held them back. "We don't want to overwhelm him... Malon is already still in there. Ten people in his face after waking from a nightmare isn't a good idea."

"I need to check on his injuries anyway, so I need to go in at the very least," Hyrule said, stepping forward. He was in authoritative doctor-mode again, and no one was going to question him.

"Me, too. I make a good emotional support animal," Twilight joked. Without another word, he grabbed his necklace and shifted right then and there.

"I'll go as well," said Wild. "I can do something to help him. Plus, you guys said it. There's no one more well-acquainted with nightmares than I am!" He said it as a joke, but there was a heavy truth to what he said.

Warriors chuckled a bit. "It's funny that you guys are treating this like a battle-plan. Just go in there, you three. We'll be out here."

* * *

Kiri was a shaking mess on the bed. His silvery-blonde hair had fallen out of its braid, hands tangled into it as he held the locks with a vice-grip. Malon sat beside him, still coming down from the panic of having been woken up by such an inhumane scream.

Twilight-- as Wolfie-- and Wild sat themselves next to Kiri on the bed. Wolfie gently blew air against Kiri's arm, a small warning before he nudged him with a damp, coarse nose. Kiri jumped and flailed, eyes not quite staring at anything _there._

Then Malon starting humming. At this point, everyone knew the mysteriously powerful melody of Epona's song. The simple tune erased the glaze over Kiri's eyes as he slowly came back from his dream. Wolfie nudged him again, and this time, Kiri gently laid a hand over his pelt, petting it slowly.

After several minutes of Kiri just listening to Malon's voice carrying through the night and stroking Wolfie's fur, Wild asked a soft question.

"Mind if I do your hair?"

Kiri sat there for a moment, words not quite processing right away. He replayed it in his head until his brain was able to comprehend it. Slowly, he nodded.

A hand began making its way through his hair, tugging out the knots and smoothing it flat. The gentle rhythm of his hand against the strange wolf's fur, the gentle, comforting tug of his hair being played with and knotted and that sweet, sweet, familiar melody he'd missed for so long... When was the last time he'd felt this comfortable? This safe? This... _home?_

Kiri felt his eyelids drooping. The large wolf curled up against him, a reassuring presence at his side, as Wild and Malon simply carried on as they were.

Breathing deeply for the first time in ages, Kiri fell to a dreamless sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

"Well, we can't stay here forever... We're going to need to return to our worlds eventually," Legend was saying. He grasped the golden stone around his neck. "How do these even work, anyway?"

Kiri rubbed his eyes, following along behind Twilight, Wild and Malon. He stared at their backs, each of them stood proud and tall, a sort of easy grace carried along with them. Kiri hunched over himself and looked down.

_'You will never be that... You are and will forever will be The Hero Who Failed...'_

He watched as the nine heroes and Malon went about their easy morning. It was a gorgeous day, the sun rising over the mountains and casting everything in bright, yellow light. Everyone else got to work, assisting with farm chores and menial tasks as Kiri sat useless.

"You need to rest," Hyrule said. "You're still badly injured-- you have to let those wounds heal up. Keep Malon and Wild company in the kitchen until then."

_'Useless...'_

* * *

As soon as breakfast was over, Malon and Legend had run off somewhere to "talk." Curiously enough, Wild and Four disappeared, claiming the very same thing. The rest of them attempted to figure out how to get their charms to work.

"I honestly don't even know where to start," Hyrule said, staring at his pendant. "It's not like the Goddess gave us any instructions or anything. Normally there's _someone_ to tell us how an all-powerful artifact works." He closed his eyes and wrapped his hands around the stone. For a moment he was still, brows stitched tight together in concentration.

"I want to go home," he said.

And nothing happened.

"Well, wishing for something to happen in or out of your head doesn't work. Bit of a long-shot anyway."

"Maybe Time could do some of that ocarina playing again?" Wind suggested. Kiri's head shot up. Oc-a-ri-na... Ocarina... He knew that word.

Time pulled out a blue, oblong flute. "It's worth a shot," he said, before taking a breath and playing.

_**"But that's okay, because we'll be friends forever... won't we?"** _

...Saria?

No, no! That couldn't be right, Saria was--!

_The inky darkness swallowed her form, red and black oozing over her body as her tearful face vanished from sight. His body thrummed with glee, Link watching through the malice-hazed fog as his friend was turned into a dark silhouette of who she once was. The green glow of her spirit vanished, and in his mind Link thrashed about, clawing and screaming and crying--_

_The swirling mass of his possessed friend kneeled before him. Her eyes glowed red, petite figure dripping the scalding evil that enveloped her._

_And even though she was kneeling, ready to serve whatever had taken Link's body from him, he watched as his arm reached out toward her, a hand grappling her head and--_

_**Crunch.** _

* * *

Time sighed as he pulled out his ocarina, going through a mental list of what he should play. With a small, melancholy smile, he brought the instrument to his lips and played.

And watched as Kiri dropped to the floor, screaming.

"Nononono!" Kiri cried, one hand tearing at his hair, the other one held shakily in front of his face where he stared at it in absolute horror. Tears streamed down his face as he knelt there, words falling of his mouth in a rushed, incoherent jumble.

Time dropped down next to him, Twilight on the other side. Cautiously, Time went to lay a hand a hand on the burned hero's back before Twilight stopped him. Wordlessly, he clutched his necklace and in a flurry of shadow, Wolfie sat in his place. He shifted round, laying down across Kiri's lap. At the movement, Kiri abruptly halted his garbled cries, staring down at Twilight, frozen. Time gently, placed his hand on his left shoulder, preparing himself in case he panicked again. He didn't. He knelt there, eyes locked on the wolf, an unreadable expression on his face.

"You're okay," Time whispered to him, gently rubbing his shoulder in what he hoped was a soothing motion. Kiri, still trembling, shook his head.

"N-no..." he mumbled. "She... I... she..."

Twilight let out a soft whine, pressing his nose to the other's arm. He simply shook his head again, pointing a shaking finger at Time's ocarina, which lay forgotten on the armoured hero's lap.

"S-s-saria..."

Time froze. _Saria?_

"What... what about her?" Time asked, fighting to keep his voice steady. Kiri met his eye, tears endlessly dripping down his face.

"...gone."

Without fulling meaning to, Time whipped his hand away from Kiri's shoulder. The younger was staring at him with such pain, such _guilt_ , he feared the answer to what he was about to ask.

"What do you mean 'gone'?"

Kiri let out a choked sob. He shoved Twilight off his lap, an scrambled to his feet, his legs threatening to give out at any moment. His red-flecked eyes stared straight into Time's pure blue one.

"...killed her."

And then he ran.

* * *

Sky didn't quite know what to do with himself. The heavy feeling of loss, grief, mourning... it wouldn't leave his chest. He tried everything, and sometimes it worked, but it was fleeting. No matter what he did, the pain would come back with a vengeance.

He never let go of her sheath. She was really, truly gone.

"Maybe try focusing on something else for a little bit. Like, do something for someone maybe?" Warriors had suggested. So Sky got to carving, hunched over scraps of wood for hours on end. He sculpted little animals that he hadn't seen before, carved ornate designs into wood utensils and dishes with expert hands and even asked Malon if he could carve something into her rocking chair, to which she gave a delighted, "Yes!"

It was nice doing something for someone else. Fi had done so much for Sky, she'd taught him and helped him along his brutal journey... so maybe if he were to help others, he could carry on what she'd taught him.

That's when Four and Wild conspiratorially pulled him aside with a rough sketch in the latter's notebook. It was a drawing of an ornate blade, beautifully designed with a detailed diagram (though Sky couldn't read the Sheikah). Then Wild pulled out a sword from his slate.

"This is a Forest-Dweller's Sword, crafted by the Koroks specifically for Hylians. Since he's the Hero of the Kokiri, we were thinking about making something similar for Kiri," Wild explained.

"I'm taking care of the blade, but... Well, the hilt is practically art, and we know no better carver than you, Sky. Would you help us out?" Four asked. Though his face was schooled, his ~~red?!~~ eyes were filled with hope, practically _begging_ Sky to say yes.

Sky smiled, a bit of that weighted sadness leaving his chest once more.

"Of course."

* * *

Time's head was spinning. Twilight was speaking, but he couldn't quite hear him.

Kiri... Kiri killed Saria? His first friend? His only comfort? The person he'd found his first _home_ in? Kiri had killed her?

"Calm down, Time... Please, it was probably when he was taken over by the malice! We don't know the whole story. We need to find him and make sure he's okay. Saria... that's the girl you met in the forest, right? I... I'm sorry. But let's get Kiri back first and then we can figure this all out. Okay? Time?"

Time was staring off at nothing. He imagined sweet little Saria, Sage of the Kokiri kneeling in front of him, Master Sword run through her tiny little torso. Saria, crying out in shock as he stabbed her. Saria, probably forgiving him right away and smiling as she bled to death. Saria...

* * *

Wind was humming to himself, tapping out a rhythm on the porch when Kiri darted out from the front door. There were tears in his wide, panicked eyes. There was blood coming through some of the bandages on his right side, and in the brief second Wind glimpsed him, he was pretty sure he wasn't breathing.

Wind wasted no time. Without a thought in his mind, he ran right after Kiri. His legs might have been shorter, but Kiri was injured and Wind was _fast._ After reaching the treeline surrounding the ranch, Wind grabbed Kiri's hand and pulled him back.

"Wait--!"

_Slap!_

Wind practically fell backwards, hand clutching his cheek. He tasted blood on his lips. He steadied himself, staring shocked at the older hero, who was looking right back at him in horror, clutching the offending hand in a vice-like grip as though it had a mind of its own.

"I-I-" Kiri stuttered, rapidly backing away. Wind hurriedly scrambled to his feet.

"Wait! It's okay, you don't have to run!" He hurried forward, and carefully took Kiri's unbandaged hand in his own. Kiri tensed slightly, before hesitantly reaching out, fingers brushing against the young hero's rapidly-bruising cheek. He yanked his hand back as Wind inadvertently flinched.

"...hurt you, I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry..." he gasped, trying to tear out of Wind's grasp.

"No no it's fine, see?" Wind said quickly, grinning the best he could. Kiri didn't look fully convinced, but he stopped tugging. A heavy silence hung between them before Wind noticed the blood sluggishly seeping through the elder's bandages.

"You're bleeding! We have to get you back..." He started pulling him towards back towards the ranch, but Kiri quickly yanked his arm away, the change in momentum causing him to stumble, landing awkwardly on his right leg. A pained whimper escaped him as he crumpled to the ground. He sat there, shaking his head.

"Can't go back."

Wind sat down next to him, staring imploringly at him.

"Why?"

Kiri's eyes filled with tears. He reached to scratch at his injured arm only stopped by the young hero taking his hand once more. He held in gently, rubbing his knuckles soothing, the way he would when Aryll was upset.

Kiri took a shaky breath. "He hates me."

"Who does?"

"Time," he whispered. "Hates me. He must."

"Why would you think he hates you?" Wind asked softly.

"I... I... killed her. My... _our_ friend." Without any warning, Kiri suddenly screamed.

_"I KILLED HER!"_

He collapsed into himself, choked sobs wracking his whole body. Hesitantly, Wind wrapped an arm around him. When the older hero didn't flinch away, he wrapped the other around him and suddenly he had caught Kiri in a warm, gentle embrace.

The Hero of the Kokiri clutched the Hero of the Wind close, letting his tears soak into the younger's tunic as he cried and screamed for his friend.

Whether from pain, exhaustion or pure panic, Kiri passed out. Wind was strong, incredibly so, but Kiri had for than a foot on him and Wind didn't have his power bracelets to assist him. Running out of options, Wind brought out his Sheikah pendant and called out.

"Wild? Wild, are you there?"

For a moment, there was nothing. Then, Wild's oblong face materialized within the pendant, staring at Wind from his Sheikah Slate.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

"Kiri ran off. I found him, but he reopened some injuries-- looks like he even scratched some of the burnt skin off. Anyway, he passed out and I can't carry him. Can you help me? We're in the woods to the east of the ranch."

 _"Shit,"_ Wild muttered, then shouted something to someone else he was with. "I'll be there in a second."

It wasn't a second, but Wild was fast. By the time he reached them, he was panting heavily in exertion. He and Wind hoisted Kiri up and wordlessly began to trek back toward the ranch house.

Hyrule jumped up immediately as they walked in. "What happened?!" he demanded. He quickly checked over Kiri's burns, re-wrapping the wounds he'd clawed at. Wind blanched through his explanation when he looked at the blackened skin, the red and purple scarring of the healed areas. They were burns of the utmost evil, lazily gushing an oozing, dark red. They went so deep, gouging craters into the new hero's skin. Wind was nauseous just looking at them.

He stared up at Wild who was also gazing at those injuries, rubbing his left side with a steely, guarded look in his eye.

"We'll get him through this," is all he said, before turning on his heel and heading outside. Wind sighed as Hyrule got up to get some more red potions, leaving him and Kiri alone.

Wind found his hand reaching towards Kiri's, the same one that slapped him across the face. His cheek stung a bit, sure, but it was far from the worst wound he had and Wind was more concerned that Kiri wouldn't forgive _himself._

Wind got up and rummaged through his things on the living room floor. He brought out the simple, four-stringed instrument Aryll had made for him and smiled down at it. Returning to his seat at Kiri's bedside, Wind began to play.

Time walked into the room as Wind continued humming along with the gentle melody he strummed out. The eldest plopped down, staring at Kiri, indescribable sadness haunting his eyes.

Wind simply played on, letting the silence give Time the room should he want to speak. For a while, it was silent, until Time finally muttered:

"I got better... It gets better... He'll get better, right...?"

He was talking to himself, not Wind, but the youngest still let a wide, reassuring smile split his face.

"Yep!" he said with absolute sureness, and Time smiled up at him from the floor. "We wouldn't have the title of 'hero' if we couldn't help one of our own, after all."

They lapsed back into silence, Time humming along with Wind as the minutes drifted by.

* * *

"I was thinking something like this," Legend said, holding up an absolutely illegible drawing. Malon giggled at it.

"Hun, I'm sure it's something amazing, but I cannot tell what on Hyrule that thing is."

"It's a horse!" Legend exclaimed indignantly. Malon's eyes widened before she doubled over, barking in laughter.

"A horse-- That?! That's a horse! Oh, lord!" Legend felt the blood rush to his cheeks as the younger Malon laughed at his pathetic attempt at a drawing.

"Fine then," he said. "I'll get Wild to help us, since he's oh-so-amazing at drawing." Sarcasm dripped from his words. Malon was still laughing.

"You do that," she giggled.

* * *

"Okay I know you're good Sky but this is _incredible_ ," Four breathed, turning the piece of woodwork over in his hands. He was holding a meticulous, loving crafted hilt; elegantly braided deep brown wood that shone, even in the dimmed light of the barn they were currently sat in.

Sky let out a little laugh. "It's no more impressive than that." He gestured at the gleaming silver and gold blade that sat by Four's side. The smaller hero picked it up carefully, wiping it down with a cloth.

"He's going to love this," he said, smiling brightly. Sky could've sworn his eyes flashed red for a moment, but quickly shook the thought from his head. He was definitely just seeing things.

"I wonder how long it's been since he's had a blade of his own," Four continued, gathering up his tools as his prepared to bring the hilt and blade together. "And what happened to the Master Sword of this time..."

Sky's joy suddenly vanished. He hummed non-committedly, pulling his sailcloth tightly around him. This didn't go unnoticed. Four looked up from his work, eyebrows knitted together. His face cleared as he realised what was wrong.

"Oh Sky... I'm sorry."

Sky shook his head. He reached back and pulled the empty sheath from his back, staring down at until it began to blur. A tear dripped down onto it, and then another and another... until he he was hunched over, clutching it tightly to his chest, crying silently to himself. He started slightly as he felt a small hand on his arm. Four sat next to him, a sad smile on his face.

"There's nothing wrong with letting it out you know," he said quietly.

"I... I know." Sky sniffed, dragging his sleeve across his face. "She's gone and I should be able to accept that but..."

"...you never truly got to say goodbye."

Sky looked over, surprised. The younger hero was staring off into the distance a somewhat wistful look in his... violet eyes? As though sensing he was being watched, he quickly shook his head, his eyes returning to a clear blue.

"But she's proud of you, you know that right?"

Sky's thoughts returned to his talk with Warriors.

_The bond we have between the ten of us is just as unspeakably strong as the one you had with her._

Sky felt a warmth in chest. Would he ever truly get over the pain of losing Fi? He didn't know for certain. But Warriors was right.

"I know," he whispered. "Thank you." Four let out a small squeak of surprise as Sky suddenly pulled him into a hug.

"You're welcome," he said, returning to hug tightly. "Now," he stood up and picked up the new, intricately designed blade.

"How about we give this to it's new owner?"

* * *

Kiri woke up to two faces that were doing a terrible job at concealing their excitement. Legend and Malon were staring at him so intently it made Kiri's warm a bit at the attention. They had something behind their backs, and through his sleepiness, Kiri felt his curiosity peak.

"How are you feeling?" Kiri jumped at the voice to his left, the young boy Wind smiling at him. Actually, everyone was crowded in the room, surrounding his bed as they waited for his response.

 **I'm... alright,** he signed, throat worked up after his confrontation with Wind. Hyrule huffed off to his right, an pointed look cast his way.

"And you better _stay_ that way. Be careful with those wounds," he said.

"Can we just-- get on with it?!" Wild was practically jumping in place with excitement. He wore an identical look to Malon and Legend, Four and Sky visibly excited as well. Time was at his side, and when their eyes met, he was given a gentle smile. It was a relief to see, albeit confusing after their last interaction.

"Go on," Time said, giving Legend and Malon a look. In a flash, they whipped out the objects behind their backs. They were folded, so Kiri couldn't tell what they were at first but--

Oh. _Oh._

Tears filled his eyes as he took the elegantly crafted tunic from Malon's arms, the familiar cap from Legend's. Kiri slowly unfurled them, tears dribbling over when he saw the design.

The tunic was pure white, the exact opposite of Dark Link's attire. A deep blue bordered the edges of the sleeves and hem, just like the hat. But what caught Kiri's attention was the design down the middle of the tunic.

The frame of a horse's head encircled seven symbols, each one terribly familiar. Forest, Light, Fire, Water, Shadow and Spirit-- the symbols of the six sages he'd saved embroidered into the tunic with a rainbow of colors. And there, at the bottom, was the symbol of the Kokiri, the same green as the tunic he'd once worn.

"That's not all," Four said.

Kiri wiped his tears away as Sky handed him something wrapped up in a blanket, an excited smile on his face. He slowly pulled the blanket away, revealing an elegant, incricately carved, sword-shaped piece of woodwork. As he stared it in awe, he realised that there was something shining just below the hilt. That meant...

"Go on, take it out!" Four said, seemingly delighted by his reaction so far.

Carefully, Kiri gripped the hilt and from the beautifully designed scabbard, he drew a shining silver and gold blade. He twisted it in his hands, speechless.

"Well?" Sky asked, smiling warmly down at him. "Do you like it?"

Kiri stared at the blade, then at the tunic, and then round at all the beaming faces looking at him. He brushed his fingers along the delicate embroidery on the tunic, then along the elegant carvings on the sword.

His chest was bursting with a feeling he hadn't felt so true in such a long a time. He looked up at everyone, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"I... love them," he whispered.

And for the very first time since they had found him, Kiri smiled.

Suddenly, a soft glow filled the room. Dancing sparks of light poured from each of the Links, their pendants shining in brilliant, golden hues. Each of them stared at their necklace in awe before Time looked up and smiled at them.

"It seems our adventure wasn't just to rid the future of darkness... Perhaps Hylia has a bit of good in her after all..." he said.

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked, cocking his head to the side. Warriors stepped forward and answered for him with a smile.

"It means our journey wasn't over until this very instant. Our mission was to find evil and eliminate it... and it was also to find each other and become closer..." Warriors looked to Kiri and smiled brightly. "And it seems we've accomplished just that. We've been gifted a family for what we've done-- something we all lacked in our lives. Seems fitting."

Everyone churned this realization over in their heads before Wind let out a startling whoop and practically _pounced_ on Kiri. The other yelped in surprise before the others joined in, flopping onto the bed while still mindful of his wounds.

He wasn't sure who said it, but Kiri would remember those words forever.

"We're family now."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone who is curious I (Mew) drew Kiri's sword! ~ https://nicetomeetmew.tumblr.com/post/620575141443862528/the-forest-dweller-sword
> 
> And here is yet another piece of fanart from Fidget The Crazy!  
> https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/600428314103906351/722268867266740274/image0.jpg?width=425&height=586


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final fluff-full medium-angsty bit of The Tenth Hero. But be warned... we have a sequel coming your way.

"You ready?"

Kiri tightened his grip on his sword. He stood facing Warriors who had an easy grin on his face, his own sword held out confidently in front of him. The others had gathered loosely around them, excitedly waiting to witness the duel. As much as he hated to admit, it made Kiri nervous. It had been so long since his body had been _his_. Ever since they had arrived in his Hyrule, Warriors had offered to help him train, to get him used to wielding his own blade again. And that had lead them to this moment. That morning, Warriors proclaimed him ready to trying sparring properly and Kiri had accepted. Although now he wasn't sure why.

Shaking the thoughts from his head, he stared his opponent right in the eye.

"I'm ready."

Warriors gave him a final grin before his face suddenly change to one of steely resolve. He stood for a moment, adjusting his grip on his sword before he suddenly darted forward. Kiri hastily raised his blade to block, wincing as the steel clashed. His arms burned under the weight that was being pushed onto him but he fought past it. With a desperate burst of strength, he pushed the other hero back, taking advantage of the moment to run out of the sword's path.

"Go, Kiri!"

He turned slightly to see Wind cheering from the side-lines. A small, unfamiliar feeling of pride began to bubble up inside him. _He could do this._

Warriors came in with another devastating blow. This time, Kiri found himself smiling as he parried the sword and knocked it away. Warriors matched his grin. With deft precision and admirable agility, the other lunged in once again.

"You can't stay on the defensive forever!" Warriors yelled as his sword sparked against Kiri's newly crafted blade. Kiri grit his teeth at the sheer power behind the Warriors' arm. There was no way he could keep blocking hits like that.

So Kiri let his smile widen as he narrowed his stance, letting his weight shift to his toes. In the blink of an eye, he was right up close in Warriors' face, the other shocked at his speed.

"Whoa!" Warriors let out, raising his sword to defend. Kiri's blade shot forward, tip reaching right for Warriors' chest...

_"Stop!" he cried, kneeling and screaming and clawing at the malice of his mind. "Please, I'm begging you!"_

_"Oh, but where would the fun be in that?" The wretched voice jeered back at him. "Hmm... this little girl here seems like she wants to play."_

_Dark Link raised his sword, Kiri watching as his body surged forward with the corrupted Master Sword in hand. The girl shrieked and--_

"Kiri!"

His head snapped up. Kiri was kneeling on the ground, suddenly nauseous as sweat poured from his face.

"You're safe, Kiri. You're here. He can't hurt you or anyone else anymore." Warriors had a hand on his back, rubbing soothing circles into his spine. Kiri closed his eyes and focused on that feeling, just as Wild had told him to do when this panic came over him.

"It's okay, you're okay..."

Tears spilled over his eyes as Kiri let in a deep breath. In, hold, out, hold. In, hold, out, hold. This was Warriors' Hyrule. He was sparring to get his body back into shape so he could help fight off the remaining hostile monsters in everyone's worlds.

With a deep breath, Kiri pulled himself up. He dusted his white tunic off and wiped his sweaty brow.

"Are you alright? We can stop for now..." Warriors looked at him, concerned.

Kiri shook his head. "No," he said, letting a shaky smile take over his face. He could do this. He had his family now. He was safe, and he would do everything in his power to protect them.

"Let's keep going."

* * *

"See that there? That's the belt of Orion! It's one of the brightest parts of Orion's constellation and the three stars that make it up are called... Alnitak, Alnilam and... Oh, I'm forgetting the last one..."

"Mintaka."

Wind and Kiri jumped at the new voice approaching behind them. Tetra stood there, smiling at the two stargazing boys. They were splayed out on the helm of the ship, breathing in the soothing ocean breeze as the others celebrated down below.

"Aren't you going to join us?" Tetra asked. Wind rubbed the back of his head, sheepish.

"Well, it just seems a little... early? We only cleared one island here, and we have a lot more to go," he said. Kiri lied back and stared at the stars once more.

"So?" Tetra smiled. "That doesn't mean we can't appreciate one victory! What happened to your pirate side? I thought I taught you better than that!"

Wind smiled gleefully. "Is that a challenge?"

"You bet your ass it is."

And with that, Kiri was being hauled up by his younger brother as they made a mad-dash for the deck. Kiri smiled as he saw Wild drumming along to the upbeat melody filling the night air on a hollow barrel, Time and Twilight clapping along beside him. Legend and Four were dancing around with the crew, Sky and Hyrule telling stories with their giant gesticulations and bright eyes. Wind crashed into the crowd, raised up a drink and shouted in the loudest voice he could muster:

"To today's victory and tomorrow's guaranteed win!"

Everyone cheered, raising a glass high in the air. Wind looked toward the upper deck where Kiri was observing this all with a grin. Wind waved at him with his free hand.

"And to our new brother! Hero of the Kokiri!"

Kiri felt his face grow hot at the sudden diversion in attention towards him, everyone belting out a hearty "Aye!" as they lifted their drinks in his direction. It was strange, having all this wonderful energy directed toward him, but... Maybe this is what it felt like to be... a hero?

Did Kiri deserve this attention, then? Was he really deserving of being a hero?

Wild was looking to him with a raised brow. The scars on his face scrunched with his forehead, and Kiri reminded himself--

Everyone but Wild saw his scars as victory over the impossible. Kiri himself admired how strong he'd been. The newest hero lifted a hand to his face, ghosting his fingers over his dark burns.

Maybe... Maybe he wasn't so different.

* * *

"What's this one?"

Hyrule glanced over at the white flower that Kiri was looking at with curiosity.

"Oh that's a snowdrop," he said, gently holding the delicate petals between his fingers. "They look pretty fragile but they're one of the only flowers that bloom in the snow." The green clad hero smiled warmly. "They're much tougher than they seem."

Kiri felt the tips of his ears burning with those words. He turned away, awkwardly clearing his throat.

The two of them were sitting in a large grassy clearing, having been sent by the others along with Wild to collect ingredients for dinner. However, Kiri had found himself distracted by all the beautiful blooms in the area, and Hyrule had been all to happy to share what he knew about them.

"You're very knowledgeable."

Hyrule seemed taken aback by the compliment, blushing bright red. "I don't think so. I just like flowers," he laughed.

"Well as nice as they are," another voice chimed in. "You can't eat them."

The two heroes turned to see Wild emerging from the trees, his arms full of mushrooms. Hyrule raised his eyebrow.

"Are you trying to say you've never eaten a flower, champion?"

Wild started before turning away. "I'm not answering that."

Kiri let out a snort of laughter as Hyrule chuckled. He turned his attention back to the flowers. He couldn't get over how beautiful they were. They were so colorful and...

He froze. His hands lingered over a different blossom. It stood brightly out from at the others, standing tall by itself. It was blood red.

_Red. Nothing but red._

"Hey. You okay?"

Kiri looked up to see the other heroes watching him with concern. Wild followed his gaze to the red flower, understanding suddenly flashing in his eyes. He shifted his load into one arm and held out his free hand.

"We should get going," he said with a smile.

Kiri hesitated, glancing back at the flower once more, before taking Wild's hand. The scarred hero pulled him up and rested his hand comfortingly on his shoulder.

"Here!" Hyrule said suddenly, reaching down and plucking one of the snowdrops. He reached forward and gently tucked it into the end of his braid. "There!" Kiri fingered it gently, confused.

"Why...?"

Hyrule winked. "They're a sign of hope, you know."

The burned hero, looked at the white flower, that warmth spreading through his chest again. He was starting to feel it more and more these days. He returned his gaze to Hyrule and gave him a small smile.

"Thank you," he whispered.

Hyrule smiled back before turning around. "Right then. I guess we should go." He started walking to the edge of the clearing before he stopped, turning back sheepishly.

"Uh... do either of you know how we got here?"

Silence. Wild let out a loud groan.

"Twi is going to _kill_ us," he cried.

In spite of himself, Kiri laughed.

* * *

The ten of them were crowded around a raging bonfire, flames pulsing heat against their faces. Kiri didn't dare stare into the fire... Who knows what he'd see there?

Four was sharing a story, though he'd found a new way to do so. Split into his four parts, Red regaled the group in absolute excitement (though, it was perhaps a bit hyperbolic) while the others added in silly remarks to whatever it was Red was saying.

Kiri couldn't hear a word. All that made it to his hears was the crackling of the fire in front of them. It popped, and Kiri flinched away as though he had been burned. He saw the fire taking Malon, the flames licking at the Great Deku Trees' branches. He saw his world crumbling into ash, one life at a time.

Time was sitting next to him. The eldest put his his hand on Kiri's shoulder. That's right... He was here. He was safe. It was okay.

Four concluded his story and Time made to stand up. The rest of the group looked at him expectantly, eager to hear whatever it was their leader had to say. Time simply smiled, and, without a word, pulled out his ocarina. He gave Kiri a pointed glance, eyes darting to the sack at the other's hip.

Oh. Kiri giggled a bit to himself as he opened his little pouch and took out his own ocarina-- the one Saria had given him when he first left the forest.

Time drew in a breath and began to play.

It was the very first thing Kiri had heard that day he'd been saved. It was the melody that pulled him from the depths of corruption and gave him the strength to combat the evil curse dwelling within him.

After Time played a couple measures to himself, Kiri picked up his own instrument and joined in with a harmony.

The others smiled as they stared at Time and Kiri, so similar yet so different at the same time. Both swayed slowly to their soothing tempo, the quiet song of the ocarinas ghosting out of their instruments. The song brought something joyous to each of them, Twilight smiling as Epona gave a light snort at the tune. Warmth filled the air, and Kiri found moisture pouring out onto his face.

_Could he not cry for once?!_

It was strange, though... these weren't sad tears, tears of fear... Each poured out from the uncontrollable joy Kiri felt in his chest.

 _"Happy tears,"_ Wild had told him, and Kiri had thought he'd never be able to experience such a strange thing.

But here he was, eerie yet comforting melody of the ocarinas breezing over him with happy tears spilling from his eyes. He looked straight at the fire, and he knew he was safe. This fire brought his family together, allowed the ten of them to have moments like this. This wasn't the fire that destroyed his everything. This was the fire of life.

The little duet ended, Epona's Song drifting to a stop, and Time simply pulled Kiri into a hug. It was warm.

* * *

Kiri let his legs dangle off the edge of the rock he was sitting on. He peered over, admiring the blanket of pure white clouds that were gathered below him.

He hadn't fully believed Sky when he'd said that his home was a land above the clouds, and so when the heroes stepped out of a gate right next to on of the edges of the floating island, he had been blown away. And he loved it.

"May I join you?" a soft voice said from behind him, startling him. Kiri turned to see Sky standing nearby, a gentle smile on his face. Kiri hesitated. He was the only one he was yet to spend time alone with. In a way, he had been avoiding him. But he wasn't about to tell him that. Instead he simply nodded and turned back to the view. Sky settled down next him with a content sigh.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Kiri nodded again. He could feel Sky looking at him but he ignored it, intently studying the vast blue sky.

An uncomfortable silence fell between the two. Kiri fidgeted with the edge of his tunic. He couldn't bear it.

"Are you mad at me?" he blurted out. His hand flew to his mouth. Sky whipped round, looking at him in utter disbelief.

" _Mad_ at you? Why in the world would I be mad you?"

Kiri said nothing. Instead he simply glanced at the empty sheath that still sat on the Chosen Hero's back. Sky's eyes widened. He reached back and pulled the sheath into his arms. Kiri looked away as he cradled it close.

"You think I'm angry with you... because of the Master Sword?" Sky ask, his tone laced with confusion. Kiri clenched his fists.

"Because... because I destroyed it!" he yelled angrily. He suddenly jumped to his feet, shame and rage building inside him.

"Shouldn't you hate me?! You forged that blade yourself and I... I..." He trailed off, his voice shaking. "Don't you hate me?" he whispered.

He wasn't sure what he was expecting. He thought Sky would yell at him, or walk off. What he wasn't expecting was for him to pull him into a tight embrace.

"Of course I don't hate you," he murmured, gently rubbing his back. Kiri stood there, too dumbfounded to hug him back.

"But... but I..."

Sky suddenly pulled back, staring him right in the eyes, hands still firmly on his shoulders.

"It was _not_ your fault," he said, voice firmer than Kiri had ever heard it. "The Master- _Fi_ disappeared because her purpose had been served. It isn't your fault Kiri. And I could never, _ever_ hate you. I promise."

Kiri felt that telltale heat building up behind his eyes again. He roughly wiped at his eyes but it was futile; the tears fell before he could stop them. He leaned back into Sky's embrace, silently sobbing into the other's sailcloth.

The two of them stood there, holding each other, until the sound of Twilight's voice calling them cut through the air. Sky pulled away, wiping at his own eyes. He gave Kiri a watery smile.

"Shall we go?" he asked.

Kiri smiled back, fondness for the other overwhelming him.

"Okay."

* * *

They raced between the pines, fresh air whipping by them as they dashed through the forest. Kiri was heaving, but Four smiled at him encouragingly beside him. Wolfie-- well, Twilight-- was leading them forward, twisting and turning through the dense forest of his Hyrule.

Just as Kiri thought his lungs were going to explode, the three of them made it to a clearing, sun shimmering beautifully through the trees and casting the ground in golden light. A small brook ran across it, Kiri doubled over in an attempt to catch his breath as he listened to the trickling water. Twilight shifted back from his Wolf form and patted him on the back.

"I think that was the farthest we've made it!" he said, smiling brightly. Kiri tried to return it, but there was something clawing at his mind.

_'Why can't you just keep up? You're so useless, making them all go out of the way to help you like this..._

Four plopped down on a tree stump, leaning back with a sigh. He was also winded, and that made Kiri feel _a little_ better. A little. Four noticed his stare and grinned at him.

"You know, for someone who spent Goddess-knows-how-long without a body, you're doing pretty incredible," he said. "Twi and I have gone through some crazy bodily adjustments with the transformations we've had to use, but we've never just straight-up _not had a body."_

Kiri felt his face grow warm at the compliment. It wasn't _that_ impressive. It's not like he would have to deal with this if he'd have just done his job right in the first place. Kiri felt his face sour. Out of the corner of his eye, Twilight and Four shared a glance.

Four grabbed his sword, took a deep breath, and split. Suddenly, Kiri was in the company of five people, Red, Green, Blue and Vio all staring at Twilight expectantly.

"Take this," the fur-clad hero said. In his hand, he held out his his Shadow Crystal. Kiri stared up at him, wide-eyed.

"But this-- I can't--!"

"Trust me on this," Twilight said, looking down at Kiri with a confident stare. This was a bit of a stretch but... If Twilight thought whatever he had planned would work, Kiri trusted him.

He wrapped his hand around the glinting, obsidian stone. The instant Kiri touched it, he saw the black begin to envelope him. It slowly worked its way over his body, and for a moment, he lost himself.

_He was back there. He couldn't be back there, there was no way he was just freed was it all just a dream--?!_

But Kiri could feel his limbs, stretching and morphing strangely. Bones and skin formed where it'd never been before, dark magic pulling his body in foreign ways. When he was finally able to open his eyes, Kiri found himself several feet shorter. Just craning his neck back to see Twilight and Four's sides felt _so strange._ It was like he'd just gotten his body back all over again.

He's gorgeous! And ADORABLE!" Red exclaimed, jumping in excitement. Before he knew it, Kiri was suddenly being pet by both Green and Red, Twilight watching the whole thing with fingers twitching.

Kiri tried to speak, but a simple whine-growl sound came from his throat. What on earth was he?

"An arctic fox, huh?" Twilight said with a smile. "Red's not wrong. I don't think I've ever seen a fox that's white _and_ blue." Kiri growled as Twilight laughed.

"I'm sure you're wondering what the point of all this is..." Kiri found that rolling his eyes as a fox was a bit more difficult than doing so as a Hylian. "Well, you've told us you feel out of place in your body, no? Well, there's nothing that feels more out of place than turning into an animal. Or, in Four's case, four different people."

"Or Minish!" Vio added, staring at Kiri as though he wanted to eat him. Kiri stared at Twilight expectantly.

"Okay, okay, I'll get on with it. Well, try focusing on the light from the gem the Goddess gave us. It can help turn you back. Imagine yourself becoming Hylian just as you'd imagine going home when you switch worlds."

Kiri closed his fur-lidded eyes, letting out a whine of acknowledgement. In his awkward little body, he wished hard to turn back into his Hylian form. His limbs felt all twisted, his back arched awkwardly... he just wanted to get back to his normal self. Limbs and bones began to meld and morph into their original shape once more. How Twilight and Four went though the nauseating process of shifting on a regular basis was beyond him.

When Kiri was back to standing, albeit slightly dizzy, he'd never felt more... comfortable. After the strange experience of becoming a _fox,_ being Hylian again suddenly felt incredibly normal; comfortable. All this time, he'd felt so out-of-place in his body, but that experience... that was the exact same feeling Kiri had had when he first got his body back.

He'd forgotten how far he'd come.

Kiri smiled to Four and Twilight in gratitude. Though shifting for the first time was harrowing, it was a stark reminder of just how much progress he'd made. His family's efforts weren't for nothing. He was actually _doing something right._

And as Twilight and Four returned that smile right back at him, he thought that maybe he was worth it, too.

* * *

"You know you can actually sit with us, right?"

Kiri glanced behind him to see Legend approaching him from where the other heroes were sitting around a raging fire.

They had arrived in Wild's Hyrule earlier that day, on a beach near a place called Lurelin Village. After much pestering from Wind, who said it reminded him of his home, the heroes decided to stop earlier than they normally would for some rest and relaxation. After yet another delicious meal cooked by Wild (Kiri still couldn't believe how _good_ his cooking was), the others had taken to talking, sparring or, in Sky's case, dozing. Kiri meanwhile noticed the sun setting over the ocean and had decided to sneak away to watch it.

"I know," Kiri replied, turning back to watch the orange waves.

Legend sighed and plopped down next to him on the fallen log he had claimed. For a moment the two of them just stared silently out into the distance. Eventually, Legend broke the silence.

"So why are you here on your own?"

Kiri shrugged. "I though it looked pretty," he said, gesturing to ahead of them. Legend hummed

"I suppose it is," he murmured, almost _wistfully_. Kiri glanced at him, surprised. In the short time he had known him, he hadn't once heard the veteran speak without a snarky tone in his voice. Legend, as though realising he was being watched, suddenly shook his head.

"Yeah well... you aren't going to get over being on your own by sitting here so..." He tilted his head towards the camp.

"Maybe in a bit," Kiri said, turning his attention back to the sea. He half expected Legend to walk away but instead he sat there with him, watching the white foam wash onto the golden sand. After a while, Kiri let his eyes wander until they landed on a bush covered in beautiful red flowers.

_Red._

"Do you know what those are?" he asked Legend quickly, trying to shake the images that were forming in the back of his mind. _Red. Fire. Red._

Legend followed his gaze, and then he froze.

"Those... they're called hibiscus," he replied, his voice tight. He refused to look the other hero in the eye, his studiously fixed on his feet.

Kiri felt nothing but confusion, but knew better than to push. Instead, he stood up, stretching his arms above his head. He smiled down at his companion.

"I'm going to go back now. Are you coming?"

Legend nodded silently and pushed himself up. He started making his way back before Kiri quickly called him back.

"Here," Kiri said softly, holding one of the red blossoms out to the veteran hero. Legend stared at it for a moment, an unreadable expression on his face.

"What's this for?" he asked, his tone wavering slightly.

"For sitting with me."

A moment of silence passed before Legend hesitantly reached out. He held the blossom carefully in his hand before looking back up, with a rare, genuine smile.

"Thank you."

Kiri returned the smile, and the two walked back to camp together, side by side.

* * *

The group made their way northward from Lurelin, destroying monster camps Wild directed them to along the way. The monsters squealed as the battle-worn heroes absolutely eviscerated them. This time, they wouldn't be coming back.

Kiri was enthralled by Wild's Hyrule. It was so _vast,_ so _raw_ and teeming with life... Horses, deer, foxes, herons, jays, boars, critters, rodents... creatures of all kinds roamed about the land. They traveled through the tangled undergrowth of the jungle, they took turns using Wild's armor to swim _up_ waterfalls and told stories to one another as storms raged overhead, casting flashes of light across the dark stable.

When they reached the plains of central Hyrule, Wild grabbed Kiri by the arm with a fire in his eyes, eager excitement emanating from his entire being. Before he knew it, Kiri was crouched behind a tree with Wild, who was dressed in some ninja-looking armor. He smiled before creeping out from behind there cover, crouched right behind a deer and then--

Suddenly he was on it, the buck kicking and jumping in a meager attempt to throw Wild off. Kiri's eyes widened with wonder as he watched the spectacle, that same excitement he saw in Wild earlier now echoing through him.

"You _have_ to show me how to do that," he said as Wild approached him on his new mount.

"Of course I'm gonna show you how-- just put this on first." Wild clicked something on his Sheikah Slate, blue enveloping him as his stealth armor materialized back into his hands, the Champion's Tunic newly equipped.

Kiri put the stealth armor on then and there as Wild scouted for another herd of deer.

"They're just southwest of here," Wild said with a grin. Kiri felt his face splitting into an ecstatic smile. He followed Wild as he led them through the woods.

The deer were munching on some ferns, totally unaware of their two new guests. Taking in a deep breath, Kiri did just as he saw Wild do. He crouched low, the armor muting his footsteps into silence as he approached one of the deer. One more breath and--!

The deer didn't even move. Kiri landed on its back and it just cocked its neck to stare at him. He couldn't help the strangled sound of shock that left his throat. Wild echoed it from behind the tree, and _that's_ when the deer startled.

"Wait, no, he's a friend!"

Kiri wasn't quite sure why he was talking to the deer-- reassuring them like he was some sort of leader to them-- but for some benign reason, they all halted and turned to him attentively. Their faces peered at Wild, who was fully out of his hiding spot now, and they simply watched him move from his cover.

"You never told me you were some sort of magical animal-whisperer!" he said in a hushed voice. Kiri's head was a bit light as he slid off his mount, running his hand over its pelt in awe.

"I didn't know either. You think-- You think they're really listening to me?" It was a rhetorical question, one that didn't need answering. Kiri's brain had spewed it out in pure shock.

"If you can do this with the deer..."

Wild, now being nuzzled by a deer, turned to Kiri with that sparkling light returning to his eyes. He had that giant smirk on his face, one that was maybe a bit too big.

"Hang onto me," he said, whipping out his Sheikah Slate. That manic grin never left his face.

Oh, this was going to be fun.

* * *

The two of them were quite a sight. Wild was simply bounding on his horse behind Kiri, smiling at the absolute ridiculousness of it all.

The Links and the stable-goers all poured out from the inn, eyes wide and mouths agape. There, stood proudly on his horse-- if that blue, glowing, two-faced creature could be considered a _horse--_ was Kiri, leading an army of bluepees toward the stable.

Everyone stared, unable to process what in Hylia's name was happening. But then the Lord of the Mountain-- _the Lord of the Mountain!--_ chuffed, uncomfortable with all the staring gazes. Kiri gave him a small pat before hopping off, and the creature dashed off the way they came-- though not without giving Kiri a loving nudge, first.

"What," Warriors breathed. _"The hell was that?!"_

* * *

Kiri found himself euphoric, heart soaring with warmth in his chest like it never had before. He, alongside Wild, recounted their insane discoveries and encounters as each of his brothers looked to them with rapt attention. Each of their gazes were filled with something else, something bright and wonderful and jubilant as they stared at Kiri's delighted face.

Pride.

The fire-- a warm one, the one that brought his brothers closer each night-- ignited each pair of eyes with it. With a gaze Kiri imagined a father would wear, Time stood.

"You truly are the Hero of the Kokiri, huh," he said. It took a moment for the words to really register past the giddiness and adrenaline-high, but Kiri froze when they did.

He remembers those first words he exchanged with Time.

_"I'm the Hero of Time. The one that failed."_

_"You truly are the Hero of the Kokiri."_

He and Time were never born Kokiri, but Kiri was the one who overcame that boundary. He had a place in the world. He had somewhere to call home. He had the forest to return to. He was a _hero._ He overcame the darkness that plagued them all. He made his mark, fought his battle, put an end to all evil alongside these nine simple, amazing people.

Wild turned to him, that same pride flickering in his eyes. He was dragged into an embrace-- something he realized he loved more and more with each hug-- and heard the words spoken softly into his ears.

"Just like me, you thought you failed. But here you are. I couldn't be more proud.

"You are the tenth hero. You are triumphant. You are the Hero of the Kokiri."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and meeting Kiri! Until the inevitable sequel... hope you enjoyed!


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